This past year has really gotten away from me! We spent much of the past year dealing with various challenges including multiple family medical emergencies and multiple family vehicle emergencies. We certainly felt that God was refining us! We are very thankful for His protection and provision, as well as His comfort and guidance each day.
So, this fall is a pretty full schedule, but it doesn't feel crazy. I've learned the benefit of "divide and conquer" with my kids activities. We don't all have to do everything. They really only have the capacity to handle about one activity per day. I've learned I can do more myself, as long as I am only asking that much of them...so I might go out for an appointment or meeting, then take child #1 out for and activity, later drop them off and take out child #2. I enjoy being busy, I just don't enjoy crazy busy. My best measurement of the difference is whether or not I can keep up with housework regularly. Also along those lines, my husband has also become more involved in helping me "divide and conquer" the family activities, being available often to take child #1 somewhere, while I take child #2 another place. It's been a great development!
Regarding activities, I've been very determined to help each child explore their personal interests and have some of their own social space (apart from siblings). They still have some of the same friends, but it also seems to help during this teen phase for them to also feel some independence.
It's my first year having one in high school (9th grade) and one in middle school (6th grade). We are starting to talk about driving, college and careers more seriously. Regarding our daily routine, I have generally set aside 1-3pm each day as "electives" for my high schooler. He is very techy and it helps to get him out of the house. My middle schooler has two different outdoor co-ops (once a week) to fill his need for community and exploration.
Daily assignments for both students includes math, science, foreign language and civics. Any other subjects are completed through independent study (i.e. they love to read and write a lot on their own time). I recently coined the phrases "self schooling" for our family, because I provide all the materials and opportunities for my kids, and they are responsible for keeping up with it at their own pace. They keep me informed of progress through a daily chart system as well as the ongoing dialogue we have, and they know it will be reflected in their annual academic assessment. We also do a ton of "service learning" where they are involved in productive community activities where they learn a lot of practical skills. Currently for recreation their main activity is disc golf which they take pretty seriously - sometimes they practice at home with the equipment we have set up, and other times they will visit local courses for a round (competition is still on the horizon).
Academic resources:
Science (we have a subscription with all access for the whole family)
https://www.collegeprepscience.com/
Math (they have different preferences)
https://www.khanacademy.org/
https://artofproblemsolving.com/alcumus
https://artofproblemsolving.com/school/mathjams
https://brilliant.org/
Foreign Language (they choose the specifics)
https://www.duolingo.com/
Civics (they rotate within these programs)
https://generationjoshua.org/get-involved/current-events-chat
https://generationjoshua.org/get-involved/book-club
https://www.icivics.org/
https://beinternetawesome.withgoogle.com/en_us/
https://worldwatch.news/
https://teen.gwnews.com/
Extra curricular resources:
Clubs & Co-ops
https://cabarrus.ces.ncsu.edu/4-h-clubs/
https://www.binghamfarmnc.com/
https://www.campglow.org/
https://www.cchsa.com/
Bible Study
https://join.bsfinternational.org/class/160
https://cefpress.com/curriculum/jyc-curriculum-j-you-connection-/
https://cefcma.org/
https://cabarruscounty.younglife.org/
Art & Music Classes
https://livinglouderlessons.com/https://www.cabarruscountyyouthorchestra.org/https://www.bluebirdmusic.org/bluebird-piano-studio
https://www.paintyourheartsout.com/